Thank you to @writercolleenoakley @berkleypub and @booksparks for the #gifted book as part of #WRC2025 and @prhaudio for the #gifted audiobook.

I was completely captivated by The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise, which compelled me to dive into Colleen's latest offering. I began reading and, in a whirlwind, finished it in a single day. The writing is sharp, poignant, and delightfully witty.

Set against the backdrop of a fancy anniversary dinner for Jane and Dan, the story takes a dramatic turn when a climate activist group seizes control of the restaurant, taking the diners hostage. Jane can’t shake the feeling of déjà vu as the scenario mirrors a plot from her own novel. To their shock, they discover their daughter is involved with the group. How will they escape this life-threatening predicament?

This book is an absolute joyride! The premise is outrageous yet thoroughly entertaining, and that’s precisely what makes it such a thrilling read. I adored the vibrant characters and the witty banter—both between them and in their internal thoughts. The dual perspectives of Jane and Dan create a gripping narrative that pulls you in from the very first page.

The narrator truly excelled, effortlessly capturing the dynamic humor between Jane and Dan, while also conveying the tension of the hostages' situation. An outstanding performance!

If you crave an engaging read filled with colorful characters, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and twists that will keep you on your toes, this book is an absolute must-read!

I struggled with this one. The concept was novel, but something about it felt odd. These characters were in a terrifying situation but it almost presented like a quirky comedy. I appreciated the relationship between Jane and Dan, but it also seemed like their plight could have been resolved by simply communicating.

Thanks to NetGalley, Berkley, and Colleen Oakley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Colleen Oakley’s Jane and Dan at the End of the World is a wild romp through an anniversary dinner turned break-up turned terrorist attack. At times funny and sometimes relatable (Jane is a wife and mother who feels disconnected from herself), Jane and Dan at the End of the World is a twisty, action-filled, quick read.

Jane and Dan are celebrating their anniversary - it’s their nineteenth but he thinks it's their twentieth - at a very posh restaurant. As Dan (a podiatrist) is expounding about the deliciousness of the goose barnacles, Jane (a novelist) blurts out that she wants a divorce. The discussion about the future of their marriage is interrupted by a terrorist attack on the restaurant. The actions of the terrorists are very familiar to Jane; the attack seems to be modeled on the plot of her only novel (which Dan has never read), which happens to be about terrorists who attack a Japanese tea house in London.

Readers who enjoy action, even it’s a little absurd, and like a little laugh will enjoy Oakley’s Jane and Dan at the End of the World.

Jane and Dan at the End of the World is a refreshing story about domestic life in which Jane and Dan spend their anniversary at the world's most expensive restaurant and are held hostage when terrorists take over the restaurant. It follows a dual narrative structure, with both Dan and Jane as the central characters. The examination of their relationship through the lens of the monotony of their everyday and the chaos of the restaurant takeover is fascinating. The characterization is strong, and the writing style is unique. I loved the portrayal of Jane and Dan's thoughts. It was comedic and so very real. I look forward to getting my hands on a physical copy of this book!

Dan and Jane, a couple on the rocks, are celebrating their 19th (or 20th - they can’t decide) anniversary at a Michelin Star restaurant. But their fancy night out, quickly turns into a hostage situation.

I don’t think a book has made me chuckle more than this book in a long time. While a hostage situation with environmental activists fighting oil tycoons might not sound funny, the story was just as full of wit and humor as it was thoughtful moments around the imbalance of power created by wealth in our world (which felt very poignant in today’s political climate. Probably even more so than when the author finished the book…)

The dynamic of Dan and Jane was perfection. I enjoyed every minute of reading this story. I just wish some parts of the hostage situation and its resolution were a little more flushed out. If this was just Dan and Jane’s story, it would have been 5⭐️ all the way!

I’ve really enjoyed this author’s books before, so I was excited to read this.

Jane and Dan are celebrating their anniversary (19th or 20th, who knows?) at a fancy restaurant when Jane tells Dan she wants a divorce. Before they can discuss it further or enjoy their meal, the restaurant is taken over by an activist group with guns.

Jane realizes that the activist groups’ actions are mirroring that of her one and only book published. She should be able to stop the rest from playing out, right?

I enjoyed the beginning and the author’s quirky humor…until it felt forced with too many parentheses. Jane wasn’t really too likable and the ending was a bit underwhelming.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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4 stars! This one read like a thriller but with more depth as we got a peek into Jane and Dan’s marriage and their witty insights on life as a couple and family..

Thank you to Berkley, Net Galley and the author for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Short synopsis: Jane and Dan are celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary, when the restaurant is overrun with terrorists.

My thoughts: What a fun and quirky book, I loved that what was happening in the restaurant mirrored Jane’s book (that she thought no one had read). Could it be coincidence? I loved finding out!

Never did I think I would enjoy reading about a disintegrating marriage finding balance during a life threatening situation, but the author told the story with equal parts humor and heart. I’m excited to read her backlist titles now!

Read if you love:
* Second Chance
* Marriage in crisis
* Hostage situation
* Fancy restaurants

Another great book from this author. A unique story that was a fun ride. Thank you NetGalley for this review copy.

An exciting adventure with these funny characters you can relate to. Enjoyed everything about the story from start to finish. Very different from the usual plot, but also a very welcome change. Good luck in the future Jane and Dan (and Sissy).

Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley is a hilarious, quirky and insightful book about date night gone wrong!

Jane and Dan decide to forgo their usual anniversary date night at the Macaroni Grill for a bougie night of surprisingly delicious goose barnacles at the uber expensive La Fin du Monde. This is their nineteenth (not twentieth) wedding anniversary and Jane has decided to ask Dan for a divorce. Just as she announces that they should part ways, and underground environmentalist group bursts in and takes everyone hostage. What's even more weird is that this has hostage situation is turning out exactly like Jane's novel that she wrote six years ago.

This was such a good book, I was hooked immediately! I really loved Janes sense of humor and she was very relatable. The witty banter between Jane and Dan is absolute perfection and I could definitely see this playing out in my head as I read it. Oakley definitely deserves to be kept an eye on and I am gladly going to check out more work by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, Colleen Oakley, and Berkeley Publishing Group for this ARC. Publication date was March 11th 2025.

You ever feel the need for a human interest hostage situation story?

This was a lot of fun! Jane and Dan are a middle aged couple celebrating their nineteenth (not twentieth!) anniversary at an extremely pretentious restaurant. Jane wants a divorce, Dan probably wants a real meal, and they have no idea what's going to happen next.

Jane and Dan at the End of the World is at times hilarious, heartfelt, and incredibly real. A totally fun, refreshing read.

Jane is a wife, a mom and a not so successful author. Lately she feels disconnected. Her kids are growing up and her husband, Dan, just irritates her. When they go out for their nineteenth wedding anniversary to a very fancy restaurant Jane decides she is going to tell Dan she wants a divorce. Right as she breaks the news a terrorist group takes over the restaurant and they have to figure out how to survive.

Oakley is truly an artist. She takes the most obscure things and turns them into books that you just will think about for a long time. She writes like no one else. It’s quirky, but so good!

Things I liked about this book:
1. The pace, it’s quick and the chapters are fairly short.
2. The multiple POVs, I always love this when done well and this book did a great job.
3. The writing, it was crisp and succinct (see pace above).

Everything else fell a little flat for me. This book held my attention and I found myself wanting to read more but I was just a little meh about what happens and how it all unfolded.

To be fair though, I am in a bit of a reading slump and this did help get me out of it. It’s a good, light-hearted read.

First thank you to Berkeley and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: Jane and Dan go to a fancy restaurant to celebrate their anniversary. However their dinner is interrupted by a group of activists that Jane finds very familiar.

What I liked: Jane and Dan at the end of the world is date night gone wrong. They are very comfortable and stuck in their ways so going to this dinner was an anomaly from their routine. Then they are taken hostage during dinner. Jane wrote a book several years ago and things start looking familiar. She swears it is matching her book but her husband is not sure. The banter between Dan and Jane was chefs kiss. It was perfect for a long term married couple. I could totally picture both of them while reading the book. Jane was hilarious as trying to get ahead but not sure how to do so many things. It gets more complicated when they discover something about their daughter during the evening.
I love that is was very focused on the evening which made me sink in and enjoy the ride
This was my first book by the author but I know I am going to be searching out more. She writes relatable characters and puts them in situations that gets you an enjoyable experience

3.5/5

I really liked the setup here, it started out so strong and I immediately liked Jane and appreciated her sense of humor. It doesn’t take a lot of time for the action to start and I was fully invested in what would happen next at the restaurant. I was ok with the kookiness and the sometimes silly plot at first but as the book progressed, it went a little too far at times for me. I really wanted to love this as much as I’ve loved some of the authors other books but it was middle of the road for me. The ending fell flat and after such a quirky buildup I think I wanted a more explosive ending. Not my fave from the author but also not a bad read, just a little too out there for me.

Thank you, @WriterColleenOakley, @BerkleyPub, and @NetGalley for my free advanced copy.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 368 / Genre: Fiction
Release Date: March 11, 2025

Jane is ready to ask her husband for a divorce on their nineteenth anniversary at an extremely expensive restaurant when a group of terrorists bust in and take everyone hostage. As events unfold, Jane can’t help but notice several similarities that match her one and only novel that she wrote six years prior. What is going on?

I’ll tell you what’s going on, an incredibly thoughtful and hilarious story about true love. While being held hostage, Jane and Dan have a chance to look back at their life together as well as work together as a team in a crisis situation. I also thought their daughter Sissy was so infuriating, she made me incredibly glad I don’t have any children. The whole thing is very entertaining. I really enjoyed the writing and I definitely plan to read more by Colleen Oakley.

I was totally surprised in the best possible way by JANE AND DAN AT THE END OF THE WORLD! What a hilarious, charming, quirky, and shockingly insightful and timely book about everything from the highs and lows of marriage and parenting to climate change, capitalism, and oligarchs. The humor worked for me and Oakley’s meditations on mothering daughters made me weep. I loved this book.

This was actually my first book by the author and I feel like I definitely need to check out their previous work. This was so fun! It was witty, quirky, and just over all a dang good time. I loved that it was a fresh take a on a marriage in trouble troupe with comedy and action. I think the premise was very original and that is what sucked me in from the very beginning! The pacing of the book was done really well and some great unexpected twists.

Overall, this is a fun weekend read that I think a lot of people would enjoy when they are in the mood for something easy to read!

I went in to this one blind and I'm so glad I did!

This was way more fun than I thought it would be. Will be recommending this to others!